


In the Quiet Over Time

by SociallyAwkwardFox



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Conversations, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Falling In Love, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:41:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28225542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SociallyAwkwardFox/pseuds/SociallyAwkwardFox
Summary: It's in the quiet moments that Caleb and Fjord find companionship in each other.
Relationships: Fjord/Caleb Widogast
Comments: 16
Kudos: 55





	In the Quiet Over Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dendinius](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dendinius/gifts).



“Do you mind if I join you?”

While he didn't expect Fjord's voice to interrupt his reading, he immediately set aside his book and motioned for Fjord to take a seat next to him on the large rock he set up on while the others set camp for the evening. As he settled on the offered spot, Fjord casually leaned back on his hands with his legs dangling over the edge. For a moment, they remained in peaceful silence that tempted Caleb to go back to reading, but the way Fjord spoke implied he wished to speak. He dug nervously at his arms as he waited for Fjord to break the silence between them.

“There's no need to look so nervous. If you'd rather go back to your reading, feel free, but I was hoping that we could talk.”

“Of course. What did you want to talk about?”

“Nothing in particular. I thought this might be a good opportunity to get to know each other better. It might make it easier to keep making things work.”

“Oh, what did you want to know?”

“Whatever you feel comfortable telling me.” Fjord shuffled a little closer to him-almost causing their fingers to brush. “If it would make it easier, I could start.”

“That does not seem like a fair trade. I am not particularly interesting.”

“And you think I am?”

“You were a sailor. I would imagine you have many stories from your travels. I grew up in a small town, then went to school in a city nearby. Like I said, not particularly interesting.”

“If it's as simple as that, I think the reason you ended up in Trostenwald must be interesting.”

His fingers picked nervously at the edges of his frayed bandages as his eyes flicked down to look at his shoes. “Interesting is not the word I would use. It... it is a bit complicated. Everything is a bit complicated.”

“That can't possibly be true. What about Frumpkin? Other than being a magical fey cat that I don't fully understand, he can't be that complicated.”

“Do you know anything about the Feywild?”

“Not really.”

“Then it's much too complicated to explain.”

When Fjord sent him a playful glare, Caleb quickly brought up his hands up to hide the unexpected laughter that bubbled out of his throat. The smile that stretched across Fjord's face in response caused the corners of his eyes to crinkle up. Fjord lightly curled his fingers around Caleb's wrist, then gently guided them away from his mouth.

“Why do I get the feeling you're pulling my leg?”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because you think you're funny.”

“I never claimed to be.” With a snap of his fingers, Caleb brought Frumpkin into his lap where he immediately curled up into a ball. “I named him after the cat I had growing up. He has a different name in Sylvan, but it was difficult to translate into Zemnian. He does not mind Frumpkin. Do you?”

“Is Zemnian your first language?”

“Ja, I mainly spoke Zemnian growing up. I knew enough Common to get by. It wasn't until I moved to the city for school that I became fluent.”

“How many languages do you speak?”

“Four. I believe it is your turn to share something now.”

“What would you like to know?”

While Caleb considered Fjord's question, he let his fingers run along Frumpkin's back earning him a low purr. “What place that you have visited has been your favorite?”

“Starting out with a tough one. I see how it is.”

“I did not realize it would be so difficult. Although, I suppose you have been to many places.”

“Just a few. Give me a minute to think about this one.”

“Sixty, fifty-nine, fifty-eight, fifty-seven...”

* * *

A sharp knock on the cabin door forced Fjord's attention away from the large map spread across the desk. The legs of the chair scraped against the floor as he pushed back to go answer the door. Caleb stood patiently on the other side of the door without his usual coat and book harness making him look almost relaxed. When Fjord took a step back to let Caleb in, the wizard brushed past him, then stood uncertainly in the middle of the room.

After softly shutting the door behind him, Fjord headed back over the desk. “Would you like to take a seat?”

“I-” Caleb dug at the bandages covering his arm, then slowly reached out a hand that settled on Fjord's forearm. “I wanted to check on you. These past few weeks have been a lot, and today was... something else. How are you doing?”

“You're asking me that? You nearly died today.”

“That isn't that out of the ordinary, but it isn't every day you become a captain of a ship that took yours over after watching the previous captain get her neck snapped. Someone that had answers to a lot of your questions that you never got to ask. That is a lot to unpack.”

“You know, the fact it isn't that out of the ordinary, doesn't make it better.”

“Fjord.”

With a sigh, Fjord leaned his hip against the side of the desk and began messing with the first thing he got his hands on. “I'm not sure what I'm supposed to think or feel right now.”

“What you're supposed to think or feel, is irrelevant. How do you feel?”

“I-I don't know. Confused, I guess. It feels like I'm going to wake up, and she's still going to be alive and holding all the cards. I thought...” Fjord cleared his throat, then dragged his eyes back up to meet Caleb's gaze. “When you went down, I was terrified. She was so determined to kill you, and I couldn't even get you far enough away to protect you.”

“Fjord, I'm alive because of you.”

“You almost died because of me, and for what? We barely know anything more about Uk'otoa than when we started. He wants me to release him and then what? Did any of that matter?”

“Of course, it mattered, Fjord. What do you imagine she would have done if she was left on her own to find the orbs?”

“She would have needed to find me.”

“Most likely, which could have led to none of your questions being answered. There is some good to be taken out of this. You did learn from her, and all of us are alive. The ship will need repairs, but at least we have one.”

“Are you, Caleb Widogast, trying to tell me to look at the bright side?”

Caleb rolled his eyes, then gave Fjord's chest a firm poke. “Well, look who's feeling humorous now.”

“Maybe, I just needed someone to lighten the mood.”

“If that was the case, I should have suggested Jester speak with you.”

“Why do that, when you did a fine job?”

* * *

“Hey, Caleb.” Fjord leaned against the cavern wall next him close enough that their upper arms brushed every time they took a breath. “I know you did a lot of talking the other day, so I don't expect you to now. I just wanted you to know I'm glad you trust us enough to tell us that. It couldn't have been easy, but you trusted us. That was incredibly brave of you, and I'm glad you decided to stay.”

“I should have told you sooner. All of you have been in danger this entire time because of me. You deserved to know who you were traveling with.”

“Caleb, you're not the only one with secrets, and that was... That's not the type of secret you trust to people you just met. For all you knew, we could have been connected to the Cerberus Assembly. Hell, I wanted to go to the Soltryce Academy to learn about my magic. You had plenty of reasons not to tell us.”

“And when we promised to make it work? Should I not have told you then?”

“I didn't tell you everything about my past. Why would I have expected you to tell me yours?”

A shaky breath fell from Caleb's lips, then he turned to look at Fjord with watery eyes threatening to spill tears. “What if they had found us? Trent and his people would not have hesitated to kill all of you just for being with me.”

“Whether we knew or not, we would have done whatever we could to help you.”

“I don't want you to die for me. I don't want any of you to die for me.”

“So, what's the plan?” Fjord lifted his hand to gently brush away a tear that slipped down Caleb's cheek. “In Dashilla's Lair, I made a promise to you that I fully intend to keep. Are you telling me you expect me to just sit back and watch if things start to get dicey with them?”

“I don't know what to expect, but I couldn't live with myself if any of you died because of me.”

“Listen to me, Caleb. We are all adults capable of making our own decisions. If we decide that helping take down the man that abused you and continues to abuse others is worth the risk, that's our decision to make. That's not on you.”

“But it would be. If you knew everything... If you knew everything, it wouldn't be worth the risk.”

“There is nothing you could tell me that wouldn't make it worth the risk.”

“It would.”

As gently as possible, Fjord brought his other hand up to cradle Caleb's jaw and pressed their foreheads together. “Nothing would change my mind. When the time comes, I will be there to help you.”

“Fjord-”

“I will always be there to help you. I will always be there to protect you. And when you're ready to tell me everything, I will be there to listen. Do you understand me?”

“Ja, okay. I-okay.” Slender fingers wrapped around Fjord's wrist, then gave a firm squeeze. “Thank you.”

“There's no reason to thank me. Get some sleep, Cay.”

* * *

A knock on the library door interrupted Caleb from placing the next book on the shelf as he turned to see Fjord poking his head into the room. After giving him a wave to enter, Fjord softly shut the door behind him and looked curiously around the room. Frumpkin deigned to leap down from his perch upon the throw pillow he took for his own just to wrap his way between Fjord's feet. All it took was rubbing his head against a leg and letting out a demanding meow for Fjord to immediately cave. Caleb rolled his eyes at the cat now making himself comfortable in Fjord's arms.

“If you came here for him, you're more than welcome to take him with you.”

With a chuckle, Fjord leaned against the shelves next to him and waved a paw in his direction much to Frumpkin's chagrin. “I came to check on you. It looks like you're not having any problems settling in.”

“I figured you were tired of having all these books take up space in the bag. Might as well put them on all these empty shelves.”

“Now that you mention it, the bag does feel significantly lighter.”

“That doesn't seem very likely considering bags of holding always weigh the same no matter the contents.”

“It's no fun when you ruin the joke.”

“That was a joke?” Caleb hummed thoughtfully under his breath, then shrugged his shoulders and went back to shelving books. “I'll remember to laugh next time.”

“Wow. I'm starting to think I'm not welcome here.”

“I didn't say that.”

“You didn't say that?”

“Ja, I didn't say that.”

“Very funny.”

“One of us has to be.” An indignant huff from Fjord drew a breathy laugh from him. “What about you? How are you settling in?”

“I don't have much to settle in.”

Despite his casual shrug, Caleb let his hand fall away from a book as he turned to Fjord. “Is this the first time you have a room to yourself in a home?”

“Is it, uh, that obvious?”

“No but knowing your past it isn't difficult to reach that conclusion, especially when you decide spending time with Frumpkin is a good use of your time.”

“I didn't come down here to spend time with Frumpkin.”

“Really? The two of you are looking awfully cozy.”

“No need to be jealous.” While Frumpkin did his best to dig his claws into Fjord, he was deposited around Caleb's neck like a scarf instead. “There's your cat back.”

“I wasn't lying when I said you were welcome to take him with you. He is good company.”

“I much prefer yours.”

“Well, you're welcome to stay as long as you like.”

A soft smile graced Fjord's lips and he stepped closer to him, cutting the distance between them to almost nothing. “Would you like some help with your books?”

“I could use some help reaching the higher shelves.”

“That, I can certainly do.”

* * *

“How are your arms feeling?”

Fjord leaned back against Caleb's legs with a groan and tilted his head back to look up at the wizard. “They still might fall off.”

“That seems unlikely, but I'll take your word for it.”

After gently bumping Fjord to straighten up, Caleb knelt behind him and began carefully rubbing at his shoulder socket. Even though he wanted nothing more than to hold it back, a hiss slipped through his lips when Caleb pressed on a sore spot. Caleb’s fingers momentarily stilled, then picked back up even more gently than he had been previously.

“You don't have to be that gentle.”

“It's obviously more tender than I thought. I am not going to intentionally cause you pain. The point of doing this is to help.”

“So far, you're doing a fantastic job.”

Caleb arched an eyebrow at him as he slowly glided his fingers along the curve of his shoulder. “I have barely done anything, Fjord.”

“Whatever you're doing is working.”

“If you say so.”

Their conversation elapsed into silence while Caleb continued to slowly work on his aching shoulder. Once that shoulder relaxed completely beneath Caleb's fingers, he switched to the other one. This one caused a lot more hissing than the previous, but Caleb was quick to adjust and eventually got that one to relax as well. When he started to move away, Fjord snagged the first thing in reach to avoid ruining all of Caleb's work.

“Is there something else you need, Fjord?”

“Where are you going? You're so warm.”

“The dome is temperature controlled.”

“We've been freezing all day. Can you blame me for wanting to be warm? I'm from the coast, Caleb. I'm not used to being cold.”

“Wow.” Despite his unimpressed tone, the amusement in his eyes was clear. “That is the excuse you're going with?”

“What excuse? I haven't made any excuses.”

“I was just going to get my bag, but someone stopped me because I'm warm.”

“No one is stopping you from getting your bag.”

Caleb plucked the hand still gripping his coat off, then carefully set it on Fjord's lap. “Of course not, Fjord. Now, I'm going to get my bag. Frumpkin can keep you company.”

The cat snapped to life in his lap where he quickly made himself at home and looked expectantly at Fjord once he settled down. Rumbling purrs started up the instant he dragged his nails lightly along the curve of Frumpkin's spine. An amused chuckle warned him of Caleb's approach before he dropped next to him. He leaned against Fjord's side to run his own hand along the cat already fast asleep in his lap.

“For someone that is allergic to cats, the two of you get along surprisingly well.”

“It helps that he doesn't make me sneeze uncontrollably.”

“He is the best cat.” As he scratched behind Frumpkin's ears, Caleb let his chin rest on Fjord's shoulder, which brought their faces much closer together than he anticipated when he turned to look at him. “What?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all.”

* * *

While he felt too anxious to eat, Caleb forced himself to go through the motions of dinner with the rest of the Nein. His eyes remained locked on his plate the entire time, but he could feel the others watching him closely. Occasionally, the brush of Fjord's arm helped momentarily relieve the tension continuously building within him.

When he finally finished the last of the food on his plate, he gently set his fork down and pushed away from the table. Before the others could say anything, his feet carried him up the stairs to their set of rooms for the evening. The violent tremors in his hands made it difficult for him to fit the key in the lock. A hand settled on his lower back, then a large hand wrapped around his to steady it enough to get the door unlocked.

Once it opened, the hand applied firm pressure to guide him over to the lone bed in the room and encouraged him to sit. While he focused on controlling his breathing, Fjord knelt in front of him. His eyes were full of the same concern he'd been directing at Caleb since the moment they set foot in Rexxentrum.

“I know this isn't easy for you. It's about the furthest thing from easy you can get. What can I do to help?”

“You can't, not with this.”

Fjord looked down at the floor as he released a slow breath, then raised his head once more. “Remember what I told you? I will always be here to protect you, Caleb. Whatever you need, all you have to do is ask. I know I can't fix any of this, but there has to be something I can do to help, even a little.”

After a beat of silence, Caleb wrapped his hands around Fjord's clenched fist and gave it a firm squeeze. His hand relaxed between Caleb's palms and the intensity in his eyes softened. As the tension in his shoulders drained, his body curved forward into Caleb's space.

“I'd like it if you stayed. Just for the night. I think... The company might help.”

With a nod, Fjord rose to his feet to remove his blood covered armor and boots that he set close enough to the bed to be easily within reach without worry of tripping over them. His battered undershirt was exchanged for a fresh one, then he pulled out a second one that he held out to Caleb. Mechanically, Caleb rose to his feet to rid himself of his own bloody clothing and book harness before accepting the shirt. The soft material drowned his smaller frame, like a comfortable blanket draped around his shoulders.

While Caleb situated himself on the bed, Fjord extinguished the lone lantern in the room, plunging them into darkness. Only the small strip of moonlight through the shutters allowed him to see Fjord moving across the room to join him. Once he settled on the bed, Caleb curled against his side and placed a hand over his steadily beating heart. Fjord's arm found its way to his waist to curl protectively around him.

“Thank you, Fjord.”

* * *

A deep exhaustion made it difficult to open his eyes, but the memory of Uk'otoa's followers attacking the ship gave him the push he needed to do so. Concerned faces greeted him from all directions, but the one that stuck out the most hovered a few inches above his. Arcane energy still crackled in his blue eyes and his mouth was pressed into a thin line. While the rain made it somewhat difficult to know for certain, tears seemed to prickle in the corners of his eyes.

Despite the pain, Fjord pushed himself to sit up and brought a shaking hand up to gently cup Caleb's jaw. A soft exhale fell from Caleb's lips as he leaned down to press their foreheads together and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. When they opened, all signs of tears were gone. Instead, fierce determination filled them so intensely that Fjord couldn't look away even if he wanted to.

“Caleb-”

“You know, I would appreciate it if the people I loved would stop getting stabbed in the chest. It generally doesn't end well.”

“I'm sorry.”

Caleb shook his head and placed a hand on the tender, newly healed skin of Fjord's chest. “You're alive. We know Uk'otoa still wants you, what's inside of you. We'll be more careful now. Maybe...”

“What's going on in that head of yours?”

“It can wait. You need sleep. I'll put up-”

“Hey, I'm not that tired. Tell me.”

“If we removed it, I could put it in amber.”

“That is brilliant, but-” His thumb gently brushed across the curve of Caleb's cheek. “I'm not going to risk your safety. You already have people looking for you.”

“Fjord, I love you. I'm not going anywhere. Whether you have it, or I do, it doesn't matter. I'll be there either way, and I do have the necklace.”

“Are you sure?”

“About which part?”

“Any of it. All of it.”

“We make it work. That's what we do. Together.”

While he could feel his body protesting, he didn't let that stop him from sitting up a little straighter and bringing his hand up to mirror the first. “Stop me if-”

The press of firm lips against his cut off the rest of his sentence before he could even complete the thought in his own mind. He followed Caleb's lead, until salty tears mingled with the slide of their lips. When he pulled back to check on Caleb, the hand on his chest pressed a little firmer and his lips turned up in a tired smile.

“We should rest and talk in the morning. It has been an eventful night.”

“Right.” He let the words on the tip of his tongue fade from his mind with a nod. “I, uh, might need some help.”

“I think we can manage that.”

* * *

The lively music faded into the background as Fjord took a moment to step away from all the festivities. He was glad the others were enjoying themselves this evening, but he wanted nothing more than to get off Rumblecusp. Between the craziness of Vokodo and Artagan nearly getting carried off, he wasn't sure he could handle whatever else the island had to offer.

Soft footsteps behind him broke the momentary solitude he found for himself, but he couldn't say he minded when he turned to see Caleb. The light from the moon illuminated his hair in a silvery halo that made him look ethereal in combination with the circlet of flowers upon his head. His sparkling blue eyes shone brightly, and a light blush dusted his cheeks from the alcohol. When he came within distance, Fjord wrapped an arm around him waist to gently pull their bodies together.

“How do you always manage to look so captivating?”

The blush darkened at the compliment and Caleb's eyes flicked down to where his fingers toyed with the Fjord's cape clasp. “You are looking very handsome yourself.”

“Is that why you came looking for me?”

“Beau mentioned she saw you come this way. I wasn't sure whether you wanted any company. I hope you don't mind.”

“Of course not. A little privacy for once.”

“Privacy might be a stretch.” Caleb glanced briefly over his shoulder in the direction of the party. “It is probably not wise to let our guard down. I would prefer not to end up like Celia.”

“Yet another reason I'll be happy to be off this island.”

“Are you telling me you are not enjoying yourself?”

“What should I be enjoying? Losing our memories, the giant t-rex, the ghosts?”

“There were a lot of ships. You like ships, and we need a new one.”

Fjord fondly rolled his eyes and lightly pinched Caleb's side. “That is not funny.”

“It is a little funny that we are now on our third ship. You can now say you've been the captain of three ships. Doesn't that sound impressive?”

“Until someone asks why I've had three ships.”

“You don't think they would be impressed by pirates and dragon turtles?”

“Generally speaking, captains try to avoid both those things because engaging with them tends to end poorly."

“But we're adventurers. Isn't that what we're supposed to do?”

“Is that what we are?” When Caleb gave a shrug of his shoulders, Fjord chuckled under his breath. “I think I'll stick to leaving out the pirates and dragon turtles. I'd prefer to forget about them myself.”

“I can't say I blame you for that.”

“There are much more pleasant things I would prefer to focus on remembering.”

“Such as?”

With a smile, Fjord leaned down to give Caleb a slow kiss that they both lost themselves in for a few blissful minutes. “We should get back to the party.”

“A few more minutes couldn't hurt.”

“Just a few more.”

“Ja, just a few.”

* * *

As the others split off to bed, he planned to settle into one of the plush armchairs for an hour or two, then make his way up to the eighth floor. The low clearing of a throat pulled his attention away from the shelves to Fjord standing with his hand tucked in his pockets. After a long few moments of silence, Fjord slowly moved to stand in front of Caleb. His hand hovered uncertainly between them before settling gently on Caleb's hip and giving it a soft squeeze.

“Hey there.”

“Hello?”

“That was...” Fjord tipped his head thoughtfully to the side as he searched for the right word. “I'm not sure I've ever had dinner with a person I legitimately hate, but there's a first time for everything. All things considered; it could have gone a lot worse.”

“Ja, it could have.”

“How do you feel about how tonight went?”

“I don't know. There is a lot to think about. Some of the implications he made are concerning, but he words things the way he does for a reason. The true meaning of his words rarely comes from taking them at face value.”

“I picked up on that. He kept skirting around what he didn't want us to know.”

When Caleb began to instinctively scratch at his arms, a hand threaded through his fingers to prevent him from doing so. “That is what he does best.”

“And, what about the other two? I know you were close.”

“I don't trust them, I don't know if I'll ever be able to trust them, but...”

“But you want to.”

“What happened to them and everyone else that Trent took under his power, it wasn't their fault. If there's even a slight possibility that they can have the same chance I did, how can I not try?”

“It's you, Caleb. Of course, you're going to try, and we'll be there to help. Whatever you need, all you have to do is ask.”

Caleb squeezed Fjord's hand as he let out a shaky breath to help keep the torrent of emotions threatening to burst from him under control. It took a brush of fingers across his cheek to realize a few tears had unknowingly slipped out. He managed a shaky smile in thanks and brought up his own hand to wipe the other side.

“It can't keep happening.”

“I know. We're not going to let it. We just have to be smart about it.”

“Yeah, yeah.” His shoulders slumped in exhaustion at the thought of the long road ahead of him. “You are right about that.”

“Since it is going to take some time, what do you say we head to bed? I, for one, am exhausted.”

Rather than speak, Caleb gave a nod of agreement, then let Fjord guide him to the center of the tower. The command to take them up brought a smile to Caleb's face as they floated up to the seventh floor. Before Fjord could head down to his room, Caleb gently grabbed his wrist to halt him in his tracks.

“I-I want to wake up with you.”

“Are you asking me to stay the night?”

“The company would be appreciated.”

“Let me change out of these fancy clothes. I'll be right back.”

“Thank you, Fjord.”

* * *

Despite being awake for at least an hour, Fjord had little interest in getting out of bed any time soon. Knowing the day would be spent in the freezing temperatures of Eiselcross, made the warmth too tempting to leave before strictly necessary. The additional heat radiating from the body pressed along the side of his, only further cemented his decision to remain in bed. Instead of rising, he contented himself to brushing his fingers through Caleb's silky hair. He lost himself so much in the repetition of it, that he failed to notice Caleb gradually stirring in his arms.

“This is a pleasant way to wake. How long have you been up?”

“A bit. I would've had breakfast ready, but you were sleeping on my arm, and I didn't want to wake you.”

Caleb muffled a groan into Fjord's chest, then looked up so Fjord wouldn't miss him rolling his eyes in exasperation. “Very funny, but I don't think you need to worry about that. The cats have it handled.”

“In that case, we can afford to stay here a little longer.”

“As tempted as I am to agree with you, time isn't something we have in excess at the moment. The earlier we get moving, the better.”

“If the others were up, they would have banged down the door by now.”

“Do you want to give them an excuse to bang down the door?”

“It would probably be worth it.”

Before Caleb could argue further, Fjord craned his neck down to silence him with a kiss that nearly missed because of the awkward angle. A fond huff blew across his lips, then Caleb shifted until his knees bracketed on either side of Fjord's abdomen to bring their faces level. The better angle allowed Fjord to deepen the kiss as he slowly slid a hand up Caleb's thigh to his waist. Unsurprisingly, Caleb's fingers found their way to his hair as they were want to do and gave a light tug.

When his hand began to slide up Caleb's side beneath his shirt, the other pulled away from the kiss. “Fjord, we have to get up.”

With a groan, Fjord sat up and gently brushed Caleb's hair out of his eyes. “When we get back, we should take time to ourselves. Just a few days.”

“When we can find the time, I would like that. Somewhere warm. No snow or creatures wanting to eat us.”

“Absolutely. Maybe, we could visit Port Damali. I could show you around.”

“That sounds wonderful. I would love to.”

* * *

The quiet following a hard-fought battle was a deafening silence that settled so heavily on his shoulders he could hardly stand it. Despite the temptation to simply collapse from exhaustion, he forced his aching limbs to move. A bloodied Fjord caught him around the waist before he could stumble over his own feet right onto his face. He gave a Fjord a thankful smile and a soft pat on the cheek, then began to continue his path to the others.

A soft tug on his waist immediately stopped him in his tracks as he turned back to Fjord with a question on the tip of his tongue. Before he could ask, Fjord took a step closer to him with pure determination shining in his eyes. He tipped his head curiously to the side when Fjord didn't begin speaking as he expected him to.

When he finally spoke, his words came out softer than Caleb anticipated. “I wasn't planning on asking you, but it occurred to me that life is short.” Fjord dropped to one knee with a familiar ring held out to Caleb. “Will you marry me?”

After opening his mouth and failing to speak a couple times, Caleb jerkily nodded his head in response to Fjord's question. The ring slid easily onto his finger with a pleasantly warm sensation from the enchantment. He barely got the chance to take in the sight of it because Fjord quickly stood up to capture his lips in a searing kiss. His hand instinctively reached up to cradle Fjord's face, reminding him of the ring now on his finger. The smile from that reminder caused the kiss to break, but they stayed close with their foreheads pressed together. 

“I probably should have waited until we weren't covered in blood to propose.”

Caleb snorted and fondly rolled his eyes at Fjord. “We've been covered in worse. A little blood didn't ruin it. The others might have some different opinions on that, but I don't mind.”

“I'm sure you don't care about this either,” A finger tapped against the ring. “but I will buy you an actual engagement ring. This is temporary.”

“How about we consider the Ioun Stone my engagement ring?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Fjord, you spent a ridiculous amount of money on it.”

“To help keep you safe, not to act as a fancy, magical engagement stone. I'm buying you an engagement ring.”

“You're so stubborn.”

Fjord chuckled under his breath, then gave him a quick peck on the nose. “Pot meet kettle.”

“Does that mean I get to buy you an engagement ring?”

“Would saying not to waste the little money you have on me stop you from doing it?”

“It didn't stop you.”

“Sounds like we'll both be buying each other engagement rings.”

“We will.” He lifted onto his toes to drop a kiss on Fjord's cheek, then pulled away with their fingers tangled together. “It'll be our first order of business when we get back.”

* * *

While carefully balancing a tray on his hand, Fjord opened the door just enough to be able to push it open the rest of the way with his foot. The soft glow from the globules of light floating around the room illuminated the figure sitting at the desk in the corner. His wet hair was pulled back in a messy bun to keep it out of his face as he worked on the newest scroll they found. From the excitement in his eyes, Fjord knew most of Caleb's evening would be spent lost in his own world.

As much as he hated to disturb him, Fjord set down the tray louder than he normally would to draw Caleb's attention. When his eyes remained locked on his work, he switched his tactic from using noise to get his attention to one that never failed to work. He pressed a kissed to the side of Caleb's neck that sent a shiver down his spine and immediately distracted him from his work. After leaving a few more along the column of his throat and up to just below his ear, he whispered in his ear.

“Is that my shirt?”

A soft laugh preceded Caleb turning his head to brush a kiss against Fjord's cheek. “Did you need it? I can change into something else.”

“I have plenty of shirts. You can borrow that one.”

“Just the one?”

“Do I need to buy more shirts?”

“Only if you want to. I'm sure Jester would be happy to take you shopping.”

“I think I'll stick to what I have for now, but I might have to if a few more go missing.”

“We wouldn't want that.” Caleb picked up the cat themed mug from the tray and took a drink from the warm liquid. “Thank you for the tea and the food.”

“You're welcome. How is the new spell coming along?”

“Oh, it will take a while yet. Two or three days maybe. It depends on what the others have planned for the next couple of days. I need to restock on a few supplies.”

“Jester mentioned there's some sort of festival going on this weekend. It sounded like it might be interesting.”

The soft smile that stretched across Caleb's face caused the corners of his eyes to adorably wrinkle. “Are you asking me out on a date, Fjord?”

“Well, we haven't really gotten the chance to go out. Just the two of us, I mean. We're almost always with the group and things have been so busy. It seems like a good time.”

“Fjord?”

“Yes?”

“I would love to go on a date with you.” Warm lips left a light kiss on his forehead, then Caleb turned to get back to transcribing the spell with one hand and eating with the other. “This is definitely going to be a three-day project.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I'll need to go clothes shopping with Jester tomorrow, so I will have something to wear.”

“You don't need to do that.”

“No, but I want to. I want to make sure you can't take your eyes off me.”

“Cay, that is the last thing you have to worry about. I only have eyes for you.”

* * *

The dark navy and silver of Caleb's suit shimmered in the magical light hovering over the reception. While most of his hair was still in the elaborate updo Yasha did for him, a few strands now framed his face. If that weren't enough to keep Fjord captivated, the blinding smile that started the first time they locked eyes made it impossible for him to look away. Even a teasing jab to the ribs from Beau wasn't enough to pull his eyes away.

When Caleb came within touching distance, Fjord pulled him in by wrapping an arm around his waist. “Have I mentioned that you look gorgeous today?”

“Only a few times, but you are welcome to do it again.”

“You look gorgeous.”

“Thank you. You look very handsome.”

“I had a little help.”

“You always look handsome.” The gentle swell of music starting up had Caleb slipping out of his hold. “May I have this dance, husband?”

Without hesitation, Fjord accepted the hand extended out to him, then let Caleb tug him onto the dance floor. As soon as they reached the center, Fjord settled his free hand on Caleb's waist and lifted their intertwined fingers. Caleb draped a hand across Fjord's shoulder with his fingernails lightly dragging along the base of his skull. They rested their foreheads together as they slowly swayed together.

“It's hard to believe this is real. I feel like I'm going to wake up and we'll still be planning all of this.”

“As wonderful as this has been, I would be very upset if that were the case. If I had to plan anything else related to this wedding, I would have just dragged you to the nearest temple and asked them to marry us.”

Despite trying to hold his laughter in, it rumbled out of his chest all the same. “We could have done that. I wouldn't have complained.”

“No, but you know who would have?”

“Everyone else.”

“Exactly.”

“Well, even if we wouldn't have minded something simpler, this is nice. Everything turned out perfect.”

“This might be the first plan we've had that managed that.” A soft sigh fell from Caleb's lips as he let his eyes slide shut and let Fjord take complete control of their movement. “However, as amazing as this is, I am willing to admit that I'm already exhausted."

“Did you get any sleep last night?”

“Not much. It was difficult without you there.”

“I can't say I got much either. How much longer do you think we have to stay before it's appropriate to ditch?”

“It is our reception. We should probably stay the entire time.”

“So, we ask Beau to sneak us away?”

After a momentary pause, Caleb's eyes opened with a tired smile. “One hour, then we ask Beau to help us sneak out.”

* * *

After putting the last plate away, Caleb tossed the drying towel in the dirty towel basket on the way out of the kitchen. While he planned to head to the library to do some reading before bed, a pair of arms wrapped around his waist to tug him to the sitting room. He rolled his eyes fondly at the ceiling as he waited for Fjord to bring them to a stop. Based on the crackling fire in the hearth and the two glasses of whiskey on the table, Fjord obviously planned for them to spend an evening relaxing together. 

Despite expecting Fjord to lead them over to the couch, he stopped them in the middle of the room, then went over to the music player in the corner. Slow music filled the room as Fjord quickly cut the distance between them to begin swaying together. Caleb wrapped both his arms around Fjord's neck and leaned into the warmth of his husband.

“Dear Melora, you're beautiful.”

The laughter that bubbled out of Caleb's throat contrasted greatly with the softness of the moment, but the amusement in Fjord's eyes spoke of that being the goal. “No need to sound quite so surprised, we've only been married for the last decade.”

“Only the last decade? It feels like longer than that.”

“In a good way or a bad way?”

“Good. Very, very good.” They exchanged a slow kiss that caused him to momentarily lose track of time, until they separated, and he realized a new song played on the music player. “I still wake up every morning knowing I'm the luckiest man alive because I get to wake up to you. What could possibly be better?”

“What have I done to deserve such compliments?”

“Nothing in particular. Does there need to be a reason?”

“No, but normally your compliments are not so grandiose. It's like you're trying to sweep me off my feet all over again.”

Unexpectedly, Fjord lifted him into a spin that slowed to him simply holding Caleb in his arms. “Is it working?”

“You are ridiculous. There's no reason to try to sweep me off my feet again, when you never put me down in the first place.”

“And you say I'm the one handing out grandiose compliments.”

“That wasn't a compliment. I was stating a fact. A compliment would be me telling you that even after all these years you still never fail to surprise me with how thoughtful and kind you are. I would say that I love spending my evenings like this-wrapped up in your arms by the fire.”

“Oh, is that what a compliment would sound like?”

“It would. Don't you think those make for much better compliments.”

“I don't know. The idea of you never leaving my arms sounds amazing to me.” Fjord gently set him on his feet but made sure to keep one arm tightly around him when he lifted a hand to gently cup Caleb's face. “You right here for the rest of our lives. I couldn't think of anything better than that.”

“Neither could I.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos always greatly appreciated. You can find me on Tumblr ([SociallyAwkwardFoxWriter](http://sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/)) or Twitter ([@AwkFoxy](https://twitter.com/AwkFoxy)).


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